MEASUREMENT OF THE AREA OF EROSIVE LESIONS IN PATIENTS WITH LICHIPLANUS OF THE MOUTH USING THE AUTHOR'S COMPUTER PROGRAM

Oral lichen planus is an inflammatory disease of the skin and oral mucosa, the etiology of which has not been fully elucidated, has a certain potential for malignancy and is often torpid to ongoing therapy. To evaluate the effectiveness and control of the therapy, we used a photo protocol using the author's computer program "OralPath – monitoring of pathological foci" (hereinafter referred to as the program). The aim of the study was to measure the area and fix localizations of erosions on the oral mucosa in patients with oral lichen planus using the author's computer program. Materials and methods. The areas of single and multiple erosions were recorded and measured in 89 patients with erosive form of oral lichen planus (47 men, 42 women), whose average age was 48,8±8,9 years. An analysis of groups for the normality of data distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion, Shapiro-Vilka) was carried out. The groups were described using mean and standard deviation, and a 95% confidence interval was used to estimate the accuracy of the mean. Results of the study. The vast majority of erosions in oral lichen planus were of a single nature, and occurred in 80,9% of cases (n = 72). The area of erosions on the cheek mucosa was the largest in comparison with other localizations. With single lesions it was 1,92±0,7 cm2, with multiple lesions it was 2,6±0,63 cm2. The area of tongue erosions was 0,71±0,26 cm2 for single lesions and 1.08±0.19 cm2 for multiple lesions, respectively. Findings. The use of the computer program "OralPath – monitoring of pathological foci" in the practice of a dentist makes it possible to record observations of patients' conditions, evaluate the dynamics of changes in pathological foci, and, if necessary, correct the treatment process, as well as motivate patients.